NASA Ready to Roll Out Experimental X-59

Here's when the aircraft designed to help shape possible future commercial supersonic flight will be revealed at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, January 05, 2024 at 12:21 PM ET

Verified

Artist's concept of the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft that NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works will unveil on Friday, January 12. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA is set to unveil its X-59 "Quiet SuperSonic Technology" (QueSST) experimental aircraft on January 12th, designed to reduce sonic booms to a "gentle thump."
The X-59's primary goal is to collect data on community sound perception to help NASA inform future regulations and potentially lift the current ban on commercial supersonic flight over land.
The aircraft's first flight was moved to 2024 from last year due to technical challenges related to systems integration and safety-redundant computers.

See a mistake? Contact us.

NASA is preparing to soon unveil its low-boom supersonic experimental aircraft, the X-59, at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California.

The one-of-a-kind X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) experimental aircraft is part of NASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstration project aimed at collecting data to help shape regulations for possible future commercial supersonic flight over land.